Letter: Technology, does it make us better? We’ve gone far beyond rude, crude and vulgar

By Allen Petty

Published: Friday, November 15, 2013 at 06:24 PM.

Communications technology now makes it possible to reach and interact with most anyone immediately almost without regard to how far apart we are. You can congratulate or offend immediately friends or acquaintances without being where they are.

This, I think is not a good thing as it does not give you time to weigh your words; you need often to edit your thoughts. Some people verbalize every thought that comes into their mind without regard to who may be offended by these words. I’m reminded of what it says in Matthew 12:36 “We must give account of every idle word spoken.”

One recent example of idle words is the alleged bullying in the NFL by Richie Incognito directed toward Jonathan Martin. The revelations by Mr. Incognito of the content of text messages exchanged by him and Mr. Martin go far beyond rude, crude and vulgar. In the NFL and other sports we desperately need coaches and team leaders of good character, men like the late Tom Landry who set standards of behavior.

Another example is the suicide of a teenage girl, Megan Meier age 13 that was cyber bullied by two other teenage girls. Where were the parents of all three of these girls?

Having immediate knowledge in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. We are able to respond to emergencies and help those in need more quickly. On the other hand we can also get ourselves into trouble a lot quicker than cooler heads with time could avoid.

The problem in our society is not and never has been bullying. The problem is the lack of discipline and guidance; this is not being provided by a lot of parents in the raising of their children. Empathy and compassion are sorely missing and some children are growing into adulthood without a fully developed conscience if they develop one at all. Without a conscience, empathy, compassion and shame are empty words.

Before you make that call, text, email, blog, tweet or post, remember each instance is an opportunity to either reveal to the world your naivety, ignorance, vindictiveness and stupidity or will you reveal your better self. If you have compassion, empathy, love in your heart and concern for others, you won’t be so quick to comment via cyber-space. You may even find yourself learning the art of letter writing and visiting in person and holding your tongue.

Communications technology now makes it possible to reach and interact with most anyone immediately almost without regard to how far apart we are. You can congratulate or offend immediately friends or acquaintances without being where they are.

This, I think is not a good thing as it does not give you time to weigh your words; you need often to edit your thoughts. Some people verbalize every thought that comes into their mind without regard to who may be offended by these words. I’m reminded of what it says in Matthew 12:36 “We must give account of every idle word spoken.”

One recent example of idle words is the alleged bullying in the NFL by Richie Incognito directed toward Jonathan Martin. The revelations by Mr. Incognito of the content of text messages exchanged by him and Mr. Martin go far beyond rude, crude and vulgar. In the NFL and other sports we desperately need coaches and team leaders of good character, men like the late Tom Landry who set standards of behavior.

Another example is the suicide of a teenage girl, Megan Meier age 13 that was cyber bullied by two other teenage girls. Where were the parents of all three of these girls?

Having immediate knowledge in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. We are able to respond to emergencies and help those in need more quickly. On the other hand we can also get ourselves into trouble a lot quicker than cooler heads with time could avoid.

The problem in our society is not and never has been bullying. The problem is the lack of discipline and guidance; this is not being provided by a lot of parents in the raising of their children. Empathy and compassion are sorely missing and some children are growing into adulthood without a fully developed conscience if they develop one at all. Without a conscience, empathy, compassion and shame are empty words.

Before you make that call, text, email, blog, tweet or post, remember each instance is an opportunity to either reveal to the world your naivety, ignorance, vindictiveness and stupidity or will you reveal your better self. If you have compassion, empathy, love in your heart and concern for others, you won’t be so quick to comment via cyber-space. You may even find yourself learning the art of letter writing and visiting in person and holding your tongue.

Just because you can do something does not preclude that you should. Information of a tragedy or death in a family should always be given to the extended family members by their family. A friend of a friend of a friend should not be announcing this via social media to the world within a few hours of the occurrence, yet this happens regularly.

If you’re a cultured southerner, then you will recognize the song the next line comes from. A tongue can accuse and carry bad news, the seeds of distrust it will sow. Even if you don’t recognize this, it should still ring true to all of us.

If you’re constantly talking or texting on your phone maybe you’re a very insecure person. You’re missing out on life and real conversations with friends and loved ones. Nobody cares what you’re looking at in Home Depot or Wal-Mart or that you’re having your oil changed.

When you’re driving, focus on driving not on who to call or text, the rest of us would appreciate this and be a lot safer. Maybe everyone should drive a five speed, try texting while changing gears in traffic!